M.C.C.F.

[Estelore]

The Hork-Bajir standing near us gestured to remove the hoods of our morphing suits so we could hear him... and it belatedly occurred to me that my ears hadn't received any noise at all since I'd put on the suit, despite the place being relatively lively and full of aliens bustling about. I started to pull back my hood, but as I reached up with both hands, the Hork-Bajir suddenly (but gently, all things considered) clapped one hand over the part of my hood covering my left ear, then peeled away just enough of the right side to bare one ear-

-I winced instantly at the immediate, intense noise reaching my ear.  I mumbled a weak thank-you to the Hork-Bajir. Then he spoke.
"You will want to always keep at least one ear covered while you are here; it keeps you in contact with your handler, and it minimizes the damage and disorientation of sudden noises." I nodded, showing I had understood.

"Now you will be briefed by your handler on how to confront Howlers."

<Hey; still hear me?> It was Norm.
"Yes. You know how to combat a Howler?"
<More or less. Here's the deal: first, they have a kind of x-ray vision. They can see all your major internal organs, no matter what morph you use, so their attacks just don't miss. Second, they can pivot three hundred sixty degrees at the waist, so being behind them doesn't do anything but get you hurt. Third, they are blindingly fast, so you are better off using ranged weapons when you can, and save attacking morphs for an absolute last resort. In the mean time, we are assuming that it will be a possibility that they break into headquarters, so even non-combat crew are getting briefed right now. Fourth, their howl completely incapacitates anything sentient that hears it; you know the stories of that. Finally, they have genetic memory, so they are all identically powerful in the same ways, and they have no memory of having ever lost a battle. If we can teach them to lose, and if we can get even one of them to feel real pain and then rejoin the others of his species, then we may just be able to disarm their entire fleet by making them aware of their own mortality. You get all that?>
"Yeah, thanks. What do I do now?"
<You do what we all do... you wait for something interesting to happen, and you hope it isn't the bad kind of 'interesting.'>
"Sounds like a blast." I had a hard time keeping a nervey tremor out of my voice.
<Yeah, well... I'd tell you to relax, but honestly, that wouldn't be very constructive. So... just be patient, and pay attention to everything that happens in this place. You may not even see combat, which would be wonderful for all of us, but at times like these, we can't afford to be idealists.>
"I understand. Well... you take it easy, too, I guess?"
<I guess so.>

I found an empty patch of floor near the corner of the room and sat down, leaning against the wall.
<Oh, by the way, that panel behind your head slides open; there are Shredders and Dracon beams there designed to fit human hands. Go ahead and take one; it'll fit into a loop on the waist of your suit.  If you morph, the suit is designed to 'swallow' the beam weapon, so you won't lose it.>
"Oh, cool." I selected a smallish handheld Dracon and studied the numeric power settings on the barrel, the range settings on the grip.
"By the way... how do you know the panel is behind me? Is there a hidden camera in the room someplace?"
<There are cameras in most of the complex, but I'm actually looking at where you are through nano-cameras in the hood of your suit. I can see what is immediately to your left and right, since the cams are built into the ear-coverings. It works in morph, too. Since I know the base, I know where you are.>
"Nifty and creepy at the same time."
<That's Yeerk technology for you...and yes, the suits are Andalite design, but the ear protection-slash-cameras are purely Yeerk design.  Andalites take it for granted that they can see in all directions... but people like me... we never take vision for granted.>
"I see."
<Hahah, yes, and so do I! Weeellll... enough punning. I'll let you take a break without my noise.> I 'heard' a hiss and whirring sound, followed by a CLICK! as Norm shut off his microphone.

I leaned back against the cool concrete of the wall and waited for something interesting to happen.

[Cobra (Gymn)]

I followed suit peeling off an ear covering. I winced as the sound blasted in, sudden and intense. <Should have warned you.> Geraph stated. "It's fine. What do you have to tell me about howlers?" <Norm is going to explain. Suddenly I heard a different voice explaining Howlers and their weaknesses and strengths mostly strengths. <Understand that all?> Geraph asked. "I think so. Does stealth work on them?" <Not usually unless they are distracted an not looking your way.> "Good to know." I saw Finch select a Dracon. "Normally I go for shredders, but if the best way to defeat these guys is to cause them great pain I'll grab a dracon." I remarked more to myself then anyone else. I grab a big handheld Dracon and slipped it through the loop in my suit wich I assumed was for weapons.

[gorillaman16]

I did as i was instructed to do by the Hork-Bajir and then i listened to Galla tell me that Norm would instruct me on how the Howlers fight and their weaknesses, most of this i knew from reading and the stories but their was stuff i didnt know which was useful.I grabbed a shredder and placed it in the loop on the side of my suit, i only planned on using it if i wasnt able to morph, im a hands on type of guy if you need a distraction thats me im the type of guy that will say go on forget about me save yourself and that stuff.

I walked over to a crew member and asked him how close the Howlers were and he said "They landed on an asteroid to refuel and rest.They could be here at anytime even in the next few hours so be prepared to fight if necessary."

"ok i will, thanks."

[Estelore]

After maybe twenty minutes of nothing interesting happening, I decided to get up, stretch, and look around a bit.  I watched the other two humans select a large, sleek Dracon weapon and a no-nonsense Shredder. Suddenly a CLICK sounded in my head, then a soft whirring, and Norm's voice rose gently in my mind, already so familiar...

<I've heard it said among the other handlers that you can tell the type of person by what sort of weapon they choose from the rack.>
"Oh?"
<Yup. Take Cobra, for instance... he picked the biggest weapon there that can still be used with human hands.  Maybe he's trying to make a statement?>
"Maybe not... could be just wanting more firepower...."
<Could be, true. And the kid picked a Shredder, and the most standardized model... also the most efficient weapon up there, and the least likely to misfire or go dead with extended use.>
"What about me?"
<You picked a Stinger.>
"A what?"
<It's the model I helped design; it's still a Dracon weapon, but it's designed specifically to incapacitate with one shot. It only has four power settings, instead of the standard nine, but it has more range settings than the others... you can sweep a field up to twenty feet wide, as long as you are on the lowest power setting.>
"What does that setting do?"
<It would knock a human stone cold and twitching; it might make a Howler stand still for a few seconds.>
"Uh... okay. What about the highest setting?"
<The highest setting only has a range of sixty feet before completely diffusing in the atmosphere, and it is only a centimeter-wide beam, but if it hits a living thing, that thing stops living. End of story.>
"Ooh."
<Yup. Incapacitate with one shot.>
"Just depends how you define 'incapacitate'."
<Naturally.> I could hear the grin in his 'voice'.

I glanced around.
"Say, might a person find some coffee around here?"
<Door to your right and up the hall is the canteen and a very small buffet. The coffee is sludge by any other name, but there should still be a cooler with orange soda in the northeast corner. Just don't let any of the Andalites catch you snatching one... they're gaga for the stuff.>
"I hear you, man. Thanks."
<Sure. Hey, why don't you take the other two members of the motley crew with you? I bet the kid is hungry; he's been here quite awhile.>
"Sounds like a plan."

I walked back over to where the guys stood examining their new weapons.
"Hey, Norm just told me there's something resembling food up the hall. Feel like coming with me? I think it would be a good idea to sit down and talk and eat before anything nasty shows up to break up the party."

[gorillaman16]

"Sure im starving i usually only get fed once a day."

[Cobra (Gymn)]

I shrugged. "Why not, I'll come." I had kept my knives and now I slipped my artificial "fangs" into another pair of loops. I turned to follow Finch. The Howler should be here soon and I wanted to be ready.

[Estelore]

I snuck three orange sodas out of the small red cooler in the corner of the canteen, setting them on the edge of one long table. Then I grabbed a napkin and paper plate at the small buffet and started filling it with goldfish crackers, a slightly stale blueberry bagel, and some cold pizza. I took it to the table and sat down across from where the stranger-kid was standing.

"So... what is your name, eh? And why might the Andalite have an interest in you? Oh- you can call me Finch."

[Cobra (Gymn)]

Grabbed a soda and a piece of pizza and then sat down. "That's a good question. By the way I'm Cobra. You won't get any other name from me." I said before I took a bite of pizza. "I know me and Finch were apparently selected because of our adaptability."

[gorillaman16]

"My names Shaun" i said as i grabbed some food. "The andalites have interest in me because of my parents they were warriors  my mom was a spy and my dad was a squad leader so i guess they figured id be of some use to them once i was morph capable. The Howlers are the ones who took my parents so they didnt want me to get captured to and they might want my anger to get the better of me and make me destroy them but i can keep my cool.I lived on the streets for a year before the andalites got me so im pretty tough and i use logic before going into a battle but if its a surprise attack i just wing it."

[Cobra (Gymn)]

I nodded approvingly. "I don't know if we will find your parents but the chances aren't in their favor." I said apologetically. As I was midway through my second bite I heard a syren. <That's the Howlers approaching Earth. Jenmai wants you at the hangar.> "We're wanted at the hangar."

((Gorrilla, just for future reference could you try to use capitals and spaces and stuff. Don't worry I got the same talk about Grammar earlier. Good grammar makes your posts more enjoyable to read.))

[gorillaman16]

((yeah i can sorry))

"Okay i guess we don't get to finish our snack." I said jokingly. "Should we morph or stay as we are?" I asked Cobra, feeling like he was my leader.

[Cobra (Gymn)]

I'd say we save the morphing for after we get to the Howlers or the Howlers get to us. Be on your guard though." I patted my Dracon. "'We ready to go." I smiled. "Let's do this." I said jokingly.

[gorillaman16]

I grabbed the shredder off the loop on my suit and decided id try to contact Galla. "Hello Galla are you there?" No response something must be wrong. "I just tried to contact Galla, my contact and there was no reply which must mean that the base is under attack."

[Estelore]

I thumbed the safety on my Stinger and turned it to its second-most-powerful setting. Hopefully it would be able to clear at least a two-foot path for me if I'd need it... just long enough to gain air...

...I held out the stinger to Shaun.
"Here, would you mind holding onto this? I need to do something first."

I didn't wait for him to take it; I placed it on the table near him and started morphing the goldfinch.

There are few birds that move as maneuverably as small, forest-welling birds like the goldfinch.  This would let me travel quickly indoors without the falcon's risk of running into walls, and hopefully it would keep me safely above the action. Also, I could take off pretty much straight up without effort.

I quickly finished the familiar morph, and I hopped up into the air, landing on an overhead maintenance pipe.

<Shaun, if you feel like carrying my weapon a little longer, I'd appreciate it. I've set it to clear a two-foot-wide path in front of you if you use it; anything hit by it will go down hard, but it won't be lethal to larger aliens. Think of it as our... insurance of an escape route.  If you need to blow out a wall or something, you'll need to use your Shredder instead.>

I opened my thought speech to both humans and to Norm.
<Guys, I'm going to fly the halls and see if there is anything ahead. Hopefully I'll be too small to catch Howler notice.>

[gorillaman16]

As i took Finch's weapon from the table i said "Sure i can hold it for you and even my battle morph can use it too so this will work perfectly."